Valsesia
Alpe di Mera
Scopello
Alpe di Mera playgrounds
Pure fun on the snow
By: Visit Monterosa
IL COVO
Il Covo playground is an area entirely dedicated to the little explorers of Monte Rosa and is open, with some modifications for some games, even during the winter season to have fun even in the snow.
A few steps from the arrival station of the Mera chairlift, there is a real entertainment village, built with wooden structures. Perfect for those looking for play, nature and relaxation in the summer, great for those who want to enjoy the mountains in winter even without skiing.
There are swings, slides, rope walls, small rope bridges to cross and a large pirate ship to explore. The raft to cross the lake is operational during the summer season, but during the winter season it is worthily replaced by a safe bobsleigh area with always free access.
How to reach it? Just take the road that crosses the center of Mera up to the ski lift area. It is a dirt path, covered in snow in winter but beaten, wide and flat, suitable for everyone, which leads to the park in about 15 minutes on foot. Next to the games, the Campo Bar Restaurant has an internal room and a large wooden terrace. It overlooks where the children play and is perfect for watching them, or for a snack with them while they catch their breath! Continuing a few more steps you come across La Casera Bianca, a farmhouse at high altitude surrounded by animals and nature!
LA TANA
In a panoramic position, just below the Cima Camparient and next to the Boschetto Bar, the La Tana di Meraviglio playground is a mix of underpasses, slides, strange communication devices, spinning carousels and an imposing castle to explore, that of the great sage.
Here the atmosphere is sparkling and the view of Monte Rosa and the slopes is entrancing! The structures are made of wood and are all accessible even in winter on the snow. The terrace of the famous meeting point of Mera, the Boschetto, overlooks the playground.
How to reach it? Those who want to visit it during a break from skiing will find it on the left along the M1A Camparient slope. Those who want to reach it on foot or with snowshoes can follow the Fuchsia route, which starts from the center of Mera and winds through the woods for about 30 minutes.
Who's Meraviglio and what about his tale?
"Like many places in the world, Alpe di Mera also takes its name from the explorer who discovered it, Meraviglio the squirrel. In distant times, when nature was so wild as to make the territory impenetrable, a little being small enough to be able to enter it without difficulty, sifted through this land, certain that it was hiding something interesting from it. But the small size was not the only advantage of Meraviglio: he could climb the tallest trees, up to twenty meters, and jump almost flying from one top to another. This made him a perfect explorer, only he could do it!
And so it was that after years of research, his suspicion was confirmed: the remains of an ancient civilization had been completely hidden by vegetation, but he had found them. Of course, how strange this civilization must have been.. a large ship next to a small lake, a raft, strange communication systems, tribal masks, underground tunnels and rope bridges.. certainly they were very skilled builders, but also navigators, and above all they loved have fun. But what did they want to do with their original secret passages, forts and boats? This Meraviglio was never able to discover it, but perhaps you can do it, together with its great-grandchildren of course, who still roam these woods in an attempt to complete the search. If, looking up, you see one of them sneaking up the trunk of a tree, call him: “Meraviglio?”, and you will surely become great exploration friends!”